I have to confess I am a bit of a shoe hoarder. I have racks and cupboards full of shoes, some of which I probably don’t need. So I know something about how to preserve shoes for a long time because some of mine have been sitting there for years.
All of those shoes, boots and sneakers still look in perfect condition. This isn’t by chance but because I took the time to carry out the necessary shoe cleaning and maintenance to keep them looking good and then placed them in the right shoe storage.
Here’s how you can keep your shoes looking as good as new with my storage tips for your footwear.
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How to Keep Shoes in Good Condition With Basic Maintenance and Cleaning
Before you even think of how to preserve shoes for a long time you need to make sure that anything you are storing is clean and dry first.
Damp shoes covered in dust or dirt are going to suffer if you try and store them away without cleaning them so your first priority before storing your footwear is to do some basic shoe maintenance.
Make sure that all your footwear is thoroughly air-dried or dried with a shoe dryer before thinking about storing it away. Storing damp or wet shoes is a recipe for mold and mildew growth.
When your footwear is dried start by brushing off any dirt or dust from your shoes with a shoe brush. You can use a normal shoe brush or do what I do and get out my electric shoe-cleaning brushes to get any dirt off the uppers and soles. This device is handy because it doesn’t mean I have to use so much elbow grease to get things clean.
Once I have removed any dust or dirt I give any leather shoes a clean with some shoe polish to match the color of my footwear. In the UK where I live shoe polish is going out of fashion but I find it helps to keep the color of my leather shoes and nourishes and shines them as well.
For my older leather shoes, I will often use a leather conditioner on them to keep them flexible. Leather tends to dry out over time so using a good leather conditioner can keep the material supple and looking great.
How to Preserve Shoes With The Right Climate-Controlled Conditions
Learning how to preserve shoes for a long time also means choosing the right storage space for your precious shoes. This is a hugely important factor and one I hadn’t thought about too much until I nearly had a disaster in my dressing room.
Some of my precious shoes are stored on shelves in my dressing room along with a number of expensive bags. Most of the shoes are in shoe storage boxes as you ca see below which allow air to circulate but the room is usually unheated because I spend so little time in there.
This year we have a cold snap and the room had a lot of condensation on the windows which I didn’t think anything of until I found mold on one of my nylon Prada bags which freaked me out. I immediately inspected everything on the shelves and found a few shoes that also had mold problems which had to be thrown away.
Luckily the nylon bag was salvageable by using white vinegar to remove the mold but my way of storing shoes had to change.
That dressing room in my house is now heated every day and I have a dehumidifier running on cold days to create the perfect climate-controlled environment for my bag and shoe storage.
So the lesson learned was that for long-term shoe storage to really work you need to make sure that the place where you store your shoes doesn’t have temperature fluctuations or high humidity which could ruin your shoes.
The right storage unit or room should keep your shoes mold-free which is why I worry when I see that people want to store their shoes in their basements or garages. Whilst many people can’t necessarily afford a specialized climate-controlled storage unit like celebrities many people can check their shoes regularly and run a dehumidifier in their storage space.
If your shoe storage area doesn’t have huge problems with temperature fluctuations it still makes sense to pop some silica gel packets into any shoe boxes you are using to keep your stored shoes looking great.
Best Ways to Store Shoes Long Term – Avoid Direct Sunlight
There is another big factor that you need to take into account if you are thinking about how to preserve shoes for a long time and that is sunlight.
You might not have considered sunlight when thinking about long-term storage for your footwear but it is important if you want your shoes to last.
Firstly sunlight has a bleaching effect on fabrics, materials and furniture. For example, at the front of my house, I have replaced my dark curtains with shutters. This is because the front of my house gets sun all day in the summer and my once dark grey curtains had started to fade to a lighter shade.
Will sunlight damage shoes in the same way? Well yes, it will.
Not only will sunlight cause your favorite shoes to fade badly it will also dry out leather shoes. Leave leather shoes for too long in direct sunlight and watch them start to crack.
Store your shoes in a place that avoids direct sunlight. My shelves of shoes are in a darker corner of my dressing room and my remaining shoes are stored in closets and cupboards.
Darker areas that are well-ventilated are always a better solution if you want to store shoes properly
How to Properly Store Shoes By Using Shoe Trees
Whilst you may know about shoe trees you might not own any or really understand their purpose when it comes to storing your shoes and preserving them.
Shoe trees typically come in plastic styles or in more expensive wood which is usually made from cedar. When you want to know how to preserve shoes for a long time shoe trees can play an important part.
Cedar wood shoe trees are typically best for leather and suede shoes because they absorb moisture. So if you have worn a pair of leather or dress shoes all day if you want to store them correctly before you use them again you should place the wooden shoe trees inside them to help absorb sweat and reduce odors.
As shoes shouldn’t be worn day after day because they won’t have dried out properly well used leather shoes should sit in the shoe tree for at least 24 hours before being used again.
Shoe trees do however serve another purpose and that is they help keep the shape of the shoe and stop creases. Placing a shoe tree inside your shoes or trainers is going to keep your shoes looking good and they will work better than stuffing them with tissue paper which is your other option when storing shoes.
Whilst shoe trees aren’t hugely expensive the cost of buying lots of them for a large shoe collection like mine would be prohibitive. So buy a couple of pairs of wooden shoe trees for your most used leather shoes that are in short-term shoe storage and some cheaper plastic ones for your most expensive shoes or trainers.
The investment will be well worth it when your shoes still look box fresh because you have looked after them properly.
How to Store Leather Shoes For a Long Time
If like me you have lots of shoes then you probably need to think about long-term shoe storage for the footwear that you don’t wear regularly or that is out of season. Learning how to preserve shoes for a long time is important to keep all your shoes protected and cared for whilst you aren’t wearing them.
There are plenty of options for locations you can use to store your shoes and boots and what works best for you will depend on your home and storage space.
As I said earlier cool, darker places away from direct sunlight tend to work best. In my house, I have shelves, closets, and a shoe storage cupboard which all work brilliantly. You can also buy shoe racks to place in different locations of your home to store shoes.
Many of my shoes are not stored in their original shoe box but in breathable stacking boxes that I bought which allow air to circulate. Mine are from Ikea but there are plenty of other locations where you can buy similar designs.
If you are thinking about stacking plastic shoe boxes always make sure that you pick ones that are breathable for better climate control. You can also add silica packets to the box for extra protection.
If you can use a shoe tree to maintain your shoes shape or alternatively stuff the inside of the shoe with acid-free tissue paper.
When you have your shoes clean and prepared for storage make sure the place where you are putting them isn’t damp or in an area where they are subject to big temperature fluctuations. I have heard horror stories of people using old cupboards for long term storage and finding their shoes covered in mold because the area wasn’t well-ventilated.
How To Store Sneakers Long Term
If you want to store your sneakers long-term then similar strategies apply. In particular, you need to be really careful about sunlight which causes the dreaded yellowing you can get on your expensive sneakers.
Oxidization which causes yellowing is partially caused by sunlight and also by dirt so making sure your collection is clean and in a dark place will help to solve that problem.
As sneakers are increasingly collector’s items and expensive if you buy the designed limited editions people have become increasingly careful about keeping them crease-free so they look box-fresh.
So to keep your sneaker collection looking good when they are in shoe storage think about using crease protectors to maintain their shape.
How to Pack Shoes For Long Term Storage
If you are packing shoes away for a longer period of time make sure that the containers that you use are robust and are going to protect your precious footwear from moisture, sunlight, and pests.
The reason I dislike basements or garages as storage solutions is that they are generally not the cleanest of places and as you aren’t hoovering or dusting them regularly pests are around.
This is why sometimes secure container storage units can be useful which are kept at the right temperature and well looked after.
If you don’t want to spend on an outside contractor’s storage unit then buy a good cupboard, position it in a cool and dark area of your house, and store your shoes inside it in breathable boxes.
If you want to wrap your shoes to protect them further make sure that the tissue paper you use is acid-free.
Don’t forget to check on your shoes regularly to make sure they are ok. Remember shoe storage problems discovered early can usually be resolved and are less likely to end up in disaster.
Should I Keep My Shoes In Shoe Boxes?
Should you keep shoes in boxes or does keeping them in a cardboard box ruin them? If you want to know how to preserve shoes for a long time the answer to this will matter.
Well, there are various schools of thought on this. I live in the UK and have got plenty of shoes in the original boxes in a cool dry closet that have come to no harm. Some of my shoes have been in their boxes for over 10 years and still look as good as new so shoe boxes can work well.
There is however a big difference between the cool temperate UK and the hot and humid air that you might find in places like Florida or Louisiana in the US.
In these warmer and more humid conditions, boxes can allow moisture to build up on the shoes and cause mold or dry rotting. Therefore it makes more sense to place shoes in racks where air can circulate. If necessary you may even need to run a small dehumidifier in your closet to keep the climate perfect for storage.
The storage methods you use are going to be impacted by he environment you live in and the space you have in your home to storage your footwear. This means that what may work well for one person may not be so helpful for another.
Storing Boots
Storing boots work in just the same way as it does for shoes however you are going to need additional space for any knee-high boots.
I love this boot rack that is perfect for cupboards or closets.
If you want boots to keep their shape then stuffing tissue paper into them will work but you would need tons of it. A better solution would be to invest in some boot shapers for your more expensive boots to help stop them from creasing.
Why Do Shoes Peel In Storage?
Finally, if you want to know how to preserve shoes for a long time watch out for dry rot which can cause your leather shoes to disintegrate. This is irreversible once it starts so any shoes suffering from the problem would be unsalvageable.
Dry rot is caused when the leather in your shoes loses so much moisture that the material starts to peel and crack. This is why leather conditioner is important because it helps to keep leather nourished and supple.
Dry rot is usually caused by temperature extremes so very hot dry conditions or too cold temperatures. This is why having climate-controlled areas for your shoes is so important as it will protect them from dry rot.
Protecting your shoes and storing them long-term is not difficult when you take time to maintain and look after your shoes and hopefully my storage tips have made preserving your shoes that much easier when you are next doing your organizing.
More Articles on Shoe Maintenance and Cleaning
How to Fix Bad Spots On Suede Shoes
How to Fix Cracked Leather Shoes
How to Clean Non-Removable Insoles
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